This invention relates generally to truck bed liners and tailgate liners employed to protect the interior surfaces of pickup truck boxes, and more particularly to tailgate gap covers for covering the gap formed between the tailgate and the bed of a pickup truck.
For many years, owners and operators of pickup trucks have been faced with problems associated with light hauling of construction, landscaping and agricultural materials including grain and fertilizers, crushed rock, sand, gravel, soil and other abrasive substances. Such materials have a tendency to harm the interior surfaces of the pickup truck box. Additionally, such materials often become lodged in the gap between the tailgate, and the end of the truck bed. Unless this gap is clear of such materials, the normal operation of the tailgate will be hampered and can result in permanent damage to the truck bed, the tailgate and its associated hinges.
To help alleviate these problems, pickup truck bed liners and tailgate liners have been employed for many years. Typically, such liners are molded from a plastic material to fit against the interior surfaces of a pickup truck box. Usually, truck bed liners and tailgate liners are manufactured as separate parts. For example U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,161,335; 4,181,349; 4,333,678; 4,336,963; 4,341,412; 4,592,583; 4,752,097; and 4.944,612 disclose truck bed and tailgate liners manufactured in two separate parts. However, as a result of such two-part construction, these liners provide little protection to prevent debris from falling into the tailgate gap.
To some extent, the problem of hinge protection and the problem of preventing foreign objects from entering the tailgate gap has been addressed in the past. For example, in 1941 U.S. Pat. No. 2,258,447 issued to P. R. Fairbanks disclosing an arrangement for dump trucks that includes a bed plate having a concave end for a close fit adjacent to the tailgate hinge. Although this design would remove debris from the hinge, it nevertheless permits debris to contact the hinge. Also, because of its construction, the '447 device would not operate with modern pickup trucks that have a tailgate gap.
In 1970 U.S. Pat. No. 3,544,155 issued to V. D. Gardner disclosing a tailgate sealer made of canvas or a like flexible material for the protection of the interior surface of the tailgate of a truck. The '155 arrangement includes rods at each end of the canvas. One rod interlocks with existing side posts on the truck body, and another rod is used as a weight to keep the canvas taut as the tailgate pivots about its hinge axis. Thus, the canvas slides across the tailgate surface when the tailgate is pivoted to either the open or closed position. Accordingly, because this design employees a weighted canvas that is loosely draped over the tailgate, it is impractical for use in situations where high vehicle speed could cause the rods or canvas to vibrate and possibly cause damage to the truck. In addition, canvas sliding across the surface of the tailgate could damage the same if abrasive particles were lodged between the canvas and the tailgate.
Subsequent to the '155 patent, U.S. Pat. No. 3,881,768 issued to Nix disclosing a one piece truck bed and tailgate liner connected by a thin piece of material disposed to form a connecting web. Because the tailgate liner is integrally connected to the bed liner, the thin web must have the ability to stretch and expand when the tailgate is pivoted from the upward closed position to the downward open position. Accordingly, after many cycles of operation, performance of the liner material is likely to deteriorate. In addition, the Nix '768 patent can only be installed as a complete truck liner bed package. As such, it cannot be utilized to retrofit pickup trucks having existing bed liners and tailgate liners.
Similarly, in 1988, U.S. Pat. No. 4,763,945 issued to Murray disclosing a tailgate track mat. Like the earlier Nix patent, the Murry '945 Patent discloses a tailgate part that covers the tailgate gap. However, the '945 patent employs magnets incorporated therein to allow the mat to slide in relation to the tailgate when the same opened or closed, i.e., when the tailgate pivots from the closed position to the open position. With this design, the mat does not automatically return to a predetermined position when the tailgate is then moved back to the closed position. This would likely cause it to become lodged in the tailgate gap thereby preventing the tailgate from closing. Additionally, if a truck having a track mat were loaded with material that covered the mat, the same would be further restricted from sliding back into position when the tailgate is moved from the open position to the closed position.
In 1993, U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,415 issued to Wagner disclosing a pivotable tailgate connector in which a rigid member covers the gap formed between the truck bed and tailgate. The rigid member is pivotally connected to the truck bed, and pivots upward as the tailgate moves from the downward open position to the upward closed position. Although this design allows heavy objects to be rolled across the tailgate gap, it shares many of the problems inherent with previously patented gap covers. Namely, under normal operating conditions, when the tailgate is cycled to and from the open and closed position, damage from friction caused by sliding of the rigid member across the tailgate surface could occur. Additionally, it would be difficult to obtain a satisfactory fit to prevent granular material and debris from falling into the tailgate gap.
As seen from the above, tailgate gap cover devices in one way or another must adapt to the pivoting action of a tailgate. Previous gap cover designs have typically compensated for the pivoting action of a tailgate by either permitting a sliding motion between the tailgate and the gap cover, or by having the gap cover stretch and expand. Either such action, however presents problems as noted above.
Accordingly, a need remains for an inexpensive tailgate gap cover that can be easily retrofitted to pickup trucks having existing truck bed and tailgate liners as well as to pickup trucks that are not equipped with liners. A tailgate gap cover that, when installed, can compensate for the pivoting motion of a tailgate with out causing the gap cover material to stretch or slide against the tailgate.